Philip Kotler
20 min readApr 28, 2024

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April 28, 2024

Who are the World’s Top Marketers?

Philip Kotler

The question of “Who are the World’s Top Marketers” is almost impossible to answer. There are so many marketers who have done great research, produced great ads, and developed daring strategies. Each country has its own great marketers, many of whom are unknown to marketers in other countries.

I arrived at this question in an interesting way. I am ranked as a top marketer in some lists and I am never even mentioned in many other lists of top marketers.

I finally figured out why.

We need to distinguish between three groups:

…..Leading academic marketers

…..Leading professional consulting marketers

…..Leading business people who created great companies and brands

Leading Academic Marketers

I know many past and current academic marketers. One of the most impressive past academic marketers was Professor Ted Levitt who published a brilliant series of Harvard Business Review articles, including the well known Marketing Myopia. I know many current academic marketers who have published important books or articles. I need to follow them and mention their major findings in new editions of my coauthored books Marketing Management and Principles of Marketing.

To get another opinion of great marketers, I would rely on Professor Jagdish Sheth. He selected who he thought were the leading academic marketers and honored them by publishing their work in his Legends in Marketing series. Here is his list:

Jagdish N. Sheth 1 2010

Shelby D. Hunt 2 2011

Kent B. Monroe 3 2011

Naresh K. Malhotra 4 2011

Philip Kotler 5 2012

V. Kumar 6 2012

Christian Gronroos 7 2013

Yoram (Jerry) Wind 8 2014

George S. Day 9 2016

Paul E. Green 10 2017

Gerald Zaltman 11 2018

For each Legendary Marketer, Professor Jagdish Sheth published several volumes including their work and the comments of other marketers on why they have such a high regard for that person chosen as a Legend in Marketing.

Of course, every academic marketer could name other marketers who they think should be added to the Legends list. I personally would add Professor Sidney Levy for his brilliant work in understanding human behavior and motivations. I would add Professor Louis Stern for his brilliant work in channels of distribution and their management. I would add Professor Leonard Berry for his brilliant work in service marketing.

Perhaps we should ask academic marketers to create a list of all the persons who they think deserve to be viewed as Legends in Marketing. We can ask a representative group of academic marketers to each vote only on one person on the list. They must not vote their own name. Then we can see who gets the most votes and consider them as persons to be added to the list of Legends in Marketing.

Leading Professional Consulting Marketers

There are several non-academic marketers who are well-known and widely respected for their articles and books and their marketing consulting to individuals and companies. For example, Dale Carnegie has had a great influence on marketing from his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. And Peter Drucker was early in praising the vital importance of marketing to top business leaders.

As for more contemporary top consulting marketers, I would list at least three:

· Seth Godin is known through his public talks and his books about marketing such as Purple Cow, This is Marketing, All Marketers Tell Stories, Tribes, Linchpin, and Permission Marketing. He has a broad worldwide following.

· Scott Galloway, a leading marketing professor at New York University, is also well-known for his public discourses on marketing and on what is happening in business and the economy. In his recent article, “Don’t Underestimate Stupid,” he asserts that big firms and wealthy individuals are just as prone to making bad decisions as anyone else.

· Neil Patel constantly speaks on the Internet about how to improve your company’s marketing in the Age of Information. He talks about how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to use social media more effectively.

Leading Business Persons Who Created Great Companies and Brands

Let’s leave aside the great leaders of religious and thought movements, such as Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Confucius, and Karl Marx.

Here are several leaders who had the marketing imagination to build great companies and brands:

· Steve Jobs launched the Apple Company and its worldwide computer system. He then delivered the beautiful smart phone that we use as a telephone, memo pad, camera, place finder, and music player. He hammered home the importance of design and “future” thinking.

· Jeff Bezos launched Amazon as a store-based bookstore through an online book store and now a company that sells virtually everything online. In the process, he has invented ways to profitably manage a huge number of branded suppliers. Along the way he has become one of the two richest men in the world.

· Elon Musk launched Tesla, the first electronic and digital car that has revolutionized the auto industry. He launched a brilliantly successful space company and is now launching walking robots. His imagination makes him the Edison of the 21st century and one of the two richest men in the world.

· David Ogilvy ran the highly successful advertising company Ogilvy& Mather and is known as the “Father of Advertising.” He did meticulous research into consumer behavior and developed brilliant campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Dove soap and Hathaway shirts.

· William Bernbach was one of the three founders of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach. As its creative director he created many great campaigns, including “Think Small” for Volkswagen and “Think Harder” for Avis.

· Richard Branson started the Virgin Group and used his own personality to launch several businesses, including airlines, record labels, radio stations, hotels, ladies garments and others. He believed that a marketer should take calculated risks, be customer-focused and create a fun working environment.

Conclusion

There are many more persons who belong on these three lists of top marketers. I invite you to send more names of great marketers who should be added to any of these three categories of great marketing contributors.

April 28, 2024

Who are the World’s Top Marketers?

Philip Kotler

The question of “Who are the World’s Top Marketers” is almost impossible to answer. There are so many marketers who have done great research, produced great ads, and developed daring strategies. Each country has its own great marketers, many of whom are unknown to marketers in other countries.

I arrived at this question in an interesting way. I am ranked as a top marketer in some lists and I am never even mentioned in many other lists of top marketers.

I finally figured out why.

We need to distinguish between three groups:

Leading academic marketers

Leading professional consulting marketers

Leading business people who created great companies and brands

Leading Academic Marketers

I know many past and current academic marketers. One of the most impressive past academic marketers was Professor Ted Levitt who published a brilliant series of Harvard Business Review articles, including the well known Marketing Myopia. I know many current academic marketers who have published important books or articles. I need to follow them and mention their major findings in new editions of my coauthored books Marketing Management and Principles of Marketing.

To get another opinion of great marketers, I would rely on Professor Jagdish Sheth. He selected who he thought were the leading academic marketers and honored them by publishing their work in his series of Legends in Marketing. Here is his list:

Legends of Marketing series

Jagdish N. Sheth 1 2010

Shelby D. Hunt 2 2011

Kent B. Monroe 3 2011

Naresh K. Malhotra 4 2011

Philip Kotler 5 2012

V. Kumar 6 2012

Christian Gronroos 7 2013

Yoram (Jerry) Wind 8 2014

George S. Day 9 2016

Paul E. Green 10 2017

Gerald Zaltman 11 2018

For each Legendary Marketer, Professor Jagdish Sheth published several volumes including their work and the comments of other marketers on why they have such a high regard for that person chosen as a Legend in Marketing.

Of course, every academic marketer could name other marketers who they think should be added to the Legends list. I personally would add Professor Sidney Levy for his brilliant work in understanding human behavior and motivations. I would add Professor Louis Stern for his brilliant work in channels of distribution and their management. I would add Professor Leonard Berry for his brilliant work in service marketing.

Perhaps we should ask academic marketers to create a list of all the persons who they think deserve to be viewed as Legends in Marketing. We can ask a representative group of academic marketers to each vote only on one person on the list. They must not vote their own name. Then we can see who gets the most votes and consider them as persons to be added to the list of Legends in Marketing.

Leading Professional Consulting Marketers

There are several non-academic marketers who are well-known and widely respected for their articles and books and their marketing consulting to individuals and companies. For example, Dale Carnegie has had a great influence on marketing from his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. And Peter Drucker was early in praising the vital importance of marketing to top business leaders.

As for more contemporary top consulting marketers, I would list at least two:

· Seth Godin is known through his public talks and his books about marketing such as Purple Cow, This is Marketing, All Marketers Tell Stories, Tribes, Linchpin, and Permission Marketing. He has a broad worldwide following.

· Scott Galloway, a leading marketing professor at New York University, is also well-known for his public discourses on marketing and on what is happening in business and the economy. In his recent article, “Don’t Underestimate Stupid,” he asserts that big firms and wealthy individuals are just as prone to making bad decisions as anyone else.

· Neil Patel constantly speaks on the Internet about how to improve your company’s marketing in the Age of Information. He talks about how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to use social media more effectively.

Leading Business Persons Who Created Great Companies and Brands

Let’s leave aside the great leaders of religious and thought movements, such as Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Confucius, and Karl Marx.

Here are several leaders who had the marketing imagination to build great companies and brands:

· Steve Jobs launched the Apple Company and its worldwide computer system. He then delivered the beautiful smart phone that we use as a telephone, memo pad, camera, place finder, and music player. He hammered home the importance of design and “future” thinking.

· Jeff Bezos launched Amazon as a store-based bookstore through an online book store and now a company that sells virtually everything online. In the process, he has invented ways to profitably manage a huge number of branded suppliers. Along the way he has become one of the two richest men in the world.

· Elon Musk launched Tesla, the first electronic and digital car that has revolutionized the auto industry. He launched a brilliantly successful space company and is now launching walking robots. His imagination makes him the Edison of the 21st century and one of the two richest men in the world.

· David Ogilvy ran the highly successful advertising company Ogilvy& Mather and is known as the “Father of Advertising.” He did meticulous research into consumer behavior and developed brilliant campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Dove soap and Hathaway shirts.

· William Bernbach was one of the three founders of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach. As its creative director he created many great campaigns, including “Think Small” for Volkswagen and “Think Harder” for Avis.

· Richard Branson started the Virgin Group and used his own personality to launch several businesses, including airlines, record labels, radio stations, hotels, ladies garments and others. He believed that a marketer should take calculated risks, be customer-focused and create a fun working environment.

Conclusion

There are many more persons who belong on these three lists of top marketers. I invite you to send more names of great marketers who should be added to any of these three categories of great marketing contributors.

April 28, 2024

Who are the World’s Top Marketers?

Philip Kotler

The question of “Who are the World’s Top Marketers” is almost impossible to answer. There are so many marketers who have done great research, produced great ads, and developed daring strategies. Each country has its own great marketers, many of whom are unknown to marketers in other countries.

I arrived at this question in an interesting way. I am ranked as a top marketer in some lists and I am never even mentioned in many other lists of top marketers.

I finally figured out why.

We need to distinguish between three groups:

Leading academic marketers

Leading professional consulting marketers

Leading business people who created great companies and brands

Leading Academic Marketers

I know many past and current academic marketers. One of the most impressive past academic marketers was Professor Ted Levitt who published a brilliant series of Harvard Business Review articles, including the well known Marketing Myopia. I know many current academic marketers who have published important books or articles. I need to follow them and mention their major findings in new editions of my coauthored books Marketing Management and Principles of Marketing.

To get another opinion of great marketers, I would rely on Professor Jagdish Sheth. He selected who he thought were the leading academic marketers and honored them by publishing their work in his series of Legends in Marketing. Here is his list:

Legends of Marketing series

Jagdish N. Sheth 1 2010

Shelby D. Hunt 2 2011

Kent B. Monroe 3 2011

Naresh K. Malhotra 4 2011

Philip Kotler 5 2012

V. Kumar 6 2012

Christian Gronroos 7 2013

Yoram (Jerry) Wind 8 2014

George S. Day 9 2016

Paul E. Green 10 2017

Gerald Zaltman 11 2018

For each Legendary Marketer, Professor Jagdish Sheth published several volumes including their work and the comments of other marketers on why they have such a high regard for that person chosen as a Legend in Marketing.

Of course, every academic marketer could name other marketers who they think should be added to the Legends list. I personally would add Professor Sidney Levy for his brilliant work in understanding human behavior and motivations. I would add Professor Louis Stern for his brilliant work in channels of distribution and their management. I would add Professor Leonard Berry for his brilliant work in service marketing.

Perhaps we should ask academic marketers to create a list of all the persons who they think deserve to be viewed as Legends in Marketing. We can ask a representative group of academic marketers to each vote only on one person on the list. They must not vote their own name. Then we can see who gets the most votes and consider them as persons to be added to the list of Legends in Marketing.

Leading Professional Consulting Marketers

There are several non-academic marketers who are well-known and widely respected for their articles and books and their marketing consulting to individuals and companies. For example, Dale Carnegie has had a great influence on marketing from his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. And Peter Drucker was early in praising the vital importance of marketing to top business leaders.

As for more contemporary top consulting marketers, I would list at least two:

· Seth Godin is known through his public talks and his books about marketing such as Purple Cow, This is Marketing, All Marketers Tell Stories, Tribes, Linchpin, and Permission Marketing. He has a broad worldwide following.

· Scott Galloway, a leading marketing professor at New York University, is also well-known for his public discourses on marketing and on what is happening in business and the economy. In his recent article, “Don’t Underestimate Stupid,” he asserts that big firms and wealthy individuals are just as prone to making bad decisions as anyone else.

· Neil Patel constantly speaks on the Internet about how to improve your company’s marketing in the Age of Information. He talks about how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to use social media more effectively.

Leading Business Persons Who Created Great Companies and Brands

Let’s leave aside the great leaders of religious and thought movements, such as Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Confucius, and Karl Marx.

Here are several leaders who had the marketing imagination to build great companies and brands:

· Steve Jobs launched the Apple Company and its worldwide computer system. He then delivered the beautiful smart phone that we use as a telephone, memo pad, camera, place finder, and music player. He hammered home the importance of design and “future” thinking.

· Jeff Bezos launched Amazon as a store-based bookstore through an online book store and now a company that sells virtually everything online. In the process, he has invented ways to profitably manage a huge number of branded suppliers. Along the way he has become one of the two richest men in the world.

· Elon Musk launched Tesla, the first electronic and digital car that has revolutionized the auto industry. He launched a brilliantly successful space company and is now launching walking robots. His imagination makes him the Edison of the 21st century and one of the two richest men in the world.

· David Ogilvy ran the highly successful advertising company Ogilvy& Mather and is known as the “Father of Advertising.” He did meticulous research into consumer behavior and developed brilliant campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Dove soap and Hathaway shirts.

· William Bernbach was one of the three founders of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach. As its creative director he created many great campaigns, including “Think Small” for Volkswagen and “Think Harder” for Avis.

· Richard Branson started the Virgin Group and used his own personality to launch several businesses, including airlines, record labels, radio stations, hotels, ladies garments and others. He believed that a marketer should take calculated risks, be customer-focused and create a fun working environment.

Conclusion

There are many more persons who belong on these three lists of top marketers. I invite you to send more names of great marketers who should be added to any of these three categories of great marketing contributors.

April 28, 2024

Who are the World’s Top Marketers?

Philip Kotler

The question of “Who are the World’s Top Marketers” is almost impossible to answer. There are so many marketers who have done great research, produced great ads, and developed daring strategies. Each country has its own great marketers, many of whom are unknown to marketers in other countries.

I arrived at this question in an interesting way. I am ranked as a top marketer in some lists and I am never even mentioned in many other lists of top marketers.

I finally figured out why.

We need to distinguish between three groups:

Leading academic marketers

Leading professional consulting marketers

Leading business people who created great companies and brands

Leading Academic Marketers

I know many past and current academic marketers. One of the most impressive past academic marketers was Professor Ted Levitt who published a brilliant series of Harvard Business Review articles, including the well known Marketing Myopia. I know many current academic marketers who have published important books or articles. I need to follow them and mention their major findings in new editions of my coauthored books Marketing Management and Principles of Marketing.

To get another opinion of great marketers, I would rely on Professor Jagdish Sheth. He selected who he thought were the leading academic marketers and honored them by publishing their work in his series of Legends in Marketing. Here is his list:

Legends of Marketing series

Jagdish N. Sheth 1 2010

Shelby D. Hunt 2 2011

Kent B. Monroe 3 2011

Naresh K. Malhotra 4 2011

Philip Kotler 5 2012

V. Kumar 6 2012

Christian Gronroos 7 2013

Yoram (Jerry) Wind 8 2014

George S. Day 9 2016

Paul E. Green 10 2017

Gerald Zaltman 11 2018

For each Legendary Marketer, Professor Jagdish Sheth published several volumes including their work and the comments of other marketers on why they have such a high regard for that person chosen as a Legend in Marketing.

Of course, every academic marketer could name other marketers who they think should be added to the Legends list. I personally would add Professor Sidney Levy for his brilliant work in understanding human behavior and motivations. I would add Professor Louis Stern for his brilliant work in channels of distribution and their management. I would add Professor Leonard Berry for his brilliant work in service marketing.

Perhaps we should ask academic marketers to create a list of all the persons who they think deserve to be viewed as Legends in Marketing. We can ask a representative group of academic marketers to each vote only on one person on the list. They must not vote their own name. Then we can see who gets the most votes and consider them as persons to be added to the list of Legends in Marketing.

Leading Professional Consulting Marketers

There are several non-academic marketers who are well-known and widely respected for their articles and books and their marketing consulting to individuals and companies. For example, Dale Carnegie has had a great influence on marketing from his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. And Peter Drucker was early in praising the vital importance of marketing to top business leaders.

As for more contemporary top consulting marketers, I would list at least two:

· Seth Godin is known through his public talks and his books about marketing such as Purple Cow, This is Marketing, All Marketers Tell Stories, Tribes, Linchpin, and Permission Marketing. He has a broad worldwide following.

· Scott Galloway, a leading marketing professor at New York University, is also well-known for his public discourses on marketing and on what is happening in business and the economy. In his recent article, “Don’t Underestimate Stupid,” he asserts that big firms and wealthy individuals are just as prone to making bad decisions as anyone else.

· Neil Patel constantly speaks on the Internet about how to improve your company’s marketing in the Age of Information. He talks about how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to use social media more effectively.

Leading Business Persons Who Created Great Companies and Brands

Let’s leave aside the great leaders of religious and thought movements, such as Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Confucius, and Karl Marx.

Here are several leaders who had the marketing imagination to build great companies and brands:

· Steve Jobs launched the Apple Company and its worldwide computer system. He then delivered the beautiful smart phone that we use as a telephone, memo pad, camera, place finder, and music player. He hammered home the importance of design and “future” thinking.

· Jeff Bezos launched Amazon as a store-based bookstore through an online book store and now a company that sells virtually everything online. In the process, he has invented ways to profitably manage a huge number of branded suppliers. Along the way he has become one of the two richest men in the world.

· Elon Musk launched Tesla, the first electronic and digital car that has revolutionized the auto industry. He launched a brilliantly successful space company and is now launching walking robots. His imagination makes him the Edison of the 21st century and one of the two richest men in the world.

· David Ogilvy ran the highly successful advertising company Ogilvy& Mather and is known as the “Father of Advertising.” He did meticulous research into consumer behavior and developed brilliant campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Dove soap and Hathaway shirts.

· William Bernbach was one of the three founders of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach. As its creative director he created many great campaigns, including “Think Small” for Volkswagen and “Think Harder” for Avis.

· Richard Branson started the Virgin Group and used his own personality to launch several businesses, including airlines, record labels, radio stations, hotels, ladies garments and others. He believed that a marketer should take calculated risks, be customer-focused and create a fun working environment.

Conclusion

There are many more persons who belong on these three lists of top marketers. I invite you to send more names of great marketers who should be added to any of these three categories of great marketing contributors.

April 28, 2024

Who are the World’s Top Marketers?

Philip Kotler

The question of “Who are the World’s Top Marketers” is almost impossible to answer. There are so many marketers who have done great research, produced great ads, and developed daring strategies. Each country has its own great marketers, many of whom are unknown to marketers in other countries.

I arrived at this question in an interesting way. I am ranked as a top marketer in some lists and I am never even mentioned in many other lists of top marketers.

I finally figured out why.

We need to distinguish between three groups:

Leading academic marketers

Leading professional consulting marketers

Leading business people who created great companies and brands

Leading Academic Marketers

I know many past and current academic marketers. One of the most impressive past academic marketers was Professor Ted Levitt who published a brilliant series of Harvard Business Review articles, including the well known Marketing Myopia. I know many current academic marketers who have published important books or articles. I need to follow them and mention their major findings in new editions of my coauthored books Marketing Management and Principles of Marketing.

To get another opinion of great marketers, I would rely on Professor Jagdish Sheth. He selected who he thought were the leading academic marketers and honored them by publishing their work in his series of Legends in Marketing. Here is his list:

Legends of Marketing series

Jagdish N. Sheth 1 2010

Shelby D. Hunt 2 2011

Kent B. Monroe 3 2011

Naresh K. Malhotra 4 2011

Philip Kotler 5 2012

V. Kumar 6 2012

Christian Gronroos 7 2013

Yoram (Jerry) Wind 8 2014

George S. Day 9 2016

Paul E. Green 10 2017

Gerald Zaltman 11 2018

For each Legendary Marketer, Professor Jagdish Sheth published several volumes including their work and the comments of other marketers on why they have such a high regard for that person chosen as a Legend in Marketing.

Of course, every academic marketer could name other marketers who they think should be added to the Legends list. I personally would add Professor Sidney Levy for his brilliant work in understanding human behavior and motivations. I would add Professor Louis Stern for his brilliant work in channels of distribution and their management. I would add Professor Leonard Berry for his brilliant work in service marketing.

Perhaps we should ask academic marketers to create a list of all the persons who they think deserve to be viewed as Legends in Marketing. We can ask a representative group of academic marketers to each vote only on one person on the list. They must not vote their own name. Then we can see who gets the most votes and consider them as persons to be added to the list of Legends in Marketing.

Leading Professional Consulting Marketers

There are several non-academic marketers who are well-known and widely respected for their articles and books and their marketing consulting to individuals and companies. For example, Dale Carnegie has had a great influence on marketing from his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. And Peter Drucker was early in praising the vital importance of marketing to top business leaders.

As for more contemporary top consulting marketers, I would list at least two:

· Seth Godin is known through his public talks and his books about marketing such as Purple Cow, This is Marketing, All Marketers Tell Stories, Tribes, Linchpin, and Permission Marketing. He has a broad worldwide following.

· Scott Galloway, a leading marketing professor at New York University, is also well-known for his public discourses on marketing and on what is happening in business and the economy. In his recent article, “Don’t Underestimate Stupid,” he asserts that big firms and wealthy individuals are just as prone to making bad decisions as anyone else.

· Neil Patel constantly speaks on the Internet about how to improve your company’s marketing in the Age of Information. He talks about how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to use social media more effectively.

Leading Business Persons Who Created Great Companies and Brands

Let’s leave aside the great leaders of religious and thought movements, such as Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Confucius, and Karl Marx.

Here are several leaders who had the marketing imagination to build great companies and brands:

· Steve Jobs launched the Apple Company and its worldwide computer system. He then delivered the beautiful smart phone that we use as a telephone, memo pad, camera, place finder, and music player. He hammered home the importance of design and “future” thinking.

· Jeff Bezos launched Amazon as a store-based bookstore through an online book store and now a company that sells virtually everything online. In the process, he has invented ways to profitably manage a huge number of branded suppliers. Along the way he has become one of the two richest men in the world.

· Elon Musk launched Tesla, the first electronic and digital car that has revolutionized the auto industry. He launched a brilliantly successful space company and is now launching walking robots. His imagination makes him the Edison of the 21st century and one of the two richest men in the world.

· David Ogilvy ran the highly successful advertising company Ogilvy& Mather and is known as the “Father of Advertising.” He did meticulous research into consumer behavior and developed brilliant campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Dove soap and Hathaway shirts.

· William Bernbach was one of the three founders of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach. As its creative director he created many great campaigns, including “Think Small” for Volkswagen and “Think Harder” for Avis.

· Richard Branson started the Virgin Group and used his own personality to launch several businesses, including airlines, record labels, radio stations, hotels, ladies garments and others. He believed that a marketer should take calculated risks, be customer-focused and create a fun working environment.

Conclusion

There are many more persons who belong on these three lists of top marketers. I invite you to send more names of great marketers who should be added to any of these three categories of great marketing contributors.

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Philip Kotler

Philip Kotler is the S.C. Johnson and Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (emeritus)